Parents rage at ‘unfair’ selective test. Aaradhya just wants it to be over

Up to one in seven students who registered for the selective school and opportunity class test will get a second chance at the highly competitive exam – and only their best result will count – sparking outrage from parents who described the decision as “unfair”.

The high-stakes selective school tests descended into chaos earlier this month after crowds surged and computer failures led to the rescheduling of several tests.

Aaradhya Chaturvedi will sit the selective test only once after her original exam was cancelled due to chaos.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

The NSW Education Department announced last week that 4628 students who sat either exam at Randwick, Canterbury and Olympic Park centres will have the chance to retake the test, and their final mark will be the higher of the two attempts.

Students can elect to resit for a new exam, which will be held from this weekend; however, parents such as Angelina Sun said the decision was “unfair” to children who are not eligible for two attempts.

“It’s absolutely not fair for the kids who only have one opportunity to take the test,” she said. “I understood the kids who sat the test [at the affected sites] experienced a big chaos, sadness and stress, but this is very important, probably one of the most important events in the kid’s life.

“For the students who only have one chance, compared to the students who have two chances and can pick their best score, this is such a big unfairness. The postponement, the chaos, the mess, we can forget about it. But we can’t hold with this unfairness.”

Riot police were called to the selective schools test at Canterbury Park Racecourse earlier this month.

Sun said it was possible luck rather than skill could play a bigger role in a child’s success. “What has happened has trashed the people’s hope,” she said.

Parents of students who sat the selective school and opportunity class test on May 2 at Canterbury, Randwick and Sydney Olympic Park can opt to have their child sit a new test due to “unacceptable crowding issues”, the NSW Department of Education said.

Police were called to testing mega-centres in Randwick and riot police attended Canterbury, while technical issues at Olympic Park meant at least 51 children experienced computer glitches.

It was the first time the exam had been held online, managed by online education provider Janison Education.

The department has rescheduled the exams to take place over the next two weekends in 39 public schools across Sydney.

Up to 30,820 students applied to sit the selective and OC test this year, and of those more than 4600 students sat the tests at three mega-centres that were affected by chaotic crowds and technical glitches.

Eleven-year-old Aaradhya Chaturvedi from Parramatta is not too fazed that some children get two attempts at the test. The year 6 student, whose test was postponed, has bigger concerns.

All she wants is for it to be over.

“It’s been very hard to focus,” she said. “I was really disappointed because I was really stressed out for it, and then they were like ‘OK, it’s cancelled.’

Aaradhya Chaturvedi, pictured with her mother Ankita, is desperate to finish the exam. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

“This test determines what school I am going to, and I really want to get into a good high school with really nice staff and facilities. I am feeling anxious. I have got more time to study, but I am really scared.

“It will be a relief when I am done with the test. It’s the only thing me and my friends are worried about.”

Her father, Himanshu Chaturvedi, said the prolonged pressure has taken a toll on his daughter.

“She was really disheartened ... she has had two more weeks of stress,” he said. “It’s not a good experience from a kid’s mental health perspective.

“She has lost a bit of interest. You plan, and you have a goal to reach and if the goalpost gets moved you get disappointed. It has taken a hit on her for sure.

“This is unfair from the start, even before the results are out.”

Minoo Samadi’s eight-year-old daughter will reluctantly sit the opportunity class exam for a second time after she experienced technical issues at Randwick.

“My daughter thought that the hard work was finished after the exam, and now she has to sit for it again,” Samadi said. “Adults can’t handle this situation, let alone kids. We eliminated all the holidays, everything because we knew this was coming up. We couldn’t wait for this to be finished.”

The NSW Education Department said it was taking steps to ensure fairness in the exam process, “through use of multiple different versions of the test and the availability of an appeals process for students who wish to appeal”.

“This will ensure every student has the opportunity to sit the test without disruption and perform at their best,” the department said.

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